The feeling of summer has finally arrived. Yesterday I went to a concert at Henie Onstad (a museum) and listened to Jaga Jazzist with two of my friends. Thea and I have seen them three times within one year, they are magical. Especially dancing in the dark, but also yesterday, in the summer heat. After the concert we sat down on some rocks right by the edge of the water, looked at the ocean, changed into swimming suits and jumped in. There is something very special about the sea. Floating around, one’s whole body being in something. To bathe in the sea is an own kind of calm and delight.

In exactly one month I’ll be in Greece on summer vacation, being filled with that fantastic feeling of the water and the salt, the sun on your skin and a beautiful scenery every single day for over three weeks. It’ll be so lovely sitting in a taverna twice a day, looking out at the ocean with a table full of Greek dishes. One of these dishes will be Gemista, and that’s what I’m actually going to talk about today.

Gemista is a type of dish that’s just always on the taverna table in the summer. Gemista means filled, and that’s exactly what the dish is – stuffed vegetables baked in the oven. I’m used to stuffed tomatoes, but you can stuff all kinds of vegetables, especially squash, aubergine and peppers.

What you stuff the vegetables with varies, but it usually consists of a base of rice, onion, garlic and fresh herbs. The last couple of years I’ve wondered how gemista would taste with quinoa instead of rice, and that’s what I’ve done here. The quinoa gives the filling a lighter touch, leaving more space to try more of the different vegetables. In this recipe I’ve written down the vegetables I’ve used this time, but it’s really up to you choosing what you want to use!

Begin with washing the quinoa thoroughly , transfer it to a bowl and fill the bowl with water. Leave it like that for at least 20 minutes. The quinoa can be cooked a day ahead.

Wash and rinse all the vegetables while the quinoa sits in the water. Cut the aubergines in half and cut about ½ an inch off each thin end to use as lids. Cut the squash in three equal parts and cutt off a ¼ lengthwise to use as lids. Use a teaspoon to scoop out the filling of the aubergine and squash and transfer to a bowl for later use.

Cut the top of the peppers and tomatoes. It's important not to cut off a piece straight off the top, but to make circle shaped lids with a knife, just around the stems. Use your hands to carefully remove the contents of the paprika and tomatoes. Discard the content.

Discard the water from the quinoa and transfer the quinoa to a medium-sized casserole. Add water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir once in a while. The quinoa should be ready after about 15-20 minutes. Add a bit of extra water if needed.

While the quinoa boils, finely chop the garlic and add to a frying pan with two tablespoons of oliveoil over medium heat. Chop the onions and the fennel and add to the frying pan. Let sit for some minutes, until tender.

Turn the oven on to 225 degrees celsius

Add the content from the aubergines and the zucchinis to the frying pan with the onion mixture and stir well. Transfer the mixture to the quinoa, which should be done by now. Stir well.